The present invention relates to a synchronized press for forming bakery products, such as tortillas, pizza, chapati bread, or pita bread.
The formation of bakery products typically involves utilization of a press wherein the bakery product ingredients are pressed or formed between two surfaces, either or both of which may be movable relative to the other. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,223,053 issued to Jimenez, et al. discloses a machine for forming tortillas comprising a lower conveyor unit upon which dough units are deposited from a conveyor and an upper conveyor unit which cooperates with the lower conveyor unit to compress the dough units and form the tortilla therebetween. Drive means drive a lower belt which, in turn, drives an upper belt by means of interengaged dogs. Means are also provided to heat the conveyor units and dough units being flattened into tortillas prior to their discharge from the machine. U.S. Pat. No. 2,986,103 issued to Flores discloses a machine for making corn tortillas comprising a pair of cooperative forming rollers which each rotate about a horizontal axis. The rollers are geared to each other, with one roller driving the other through the gears. Dough is initially fed to the cooperating rollers from a hopper mounted above the rollers. The dough shapes formed by the cooperating rollers are carried between the coacting portions of two belts, each of which is positioned about one of the rollers, and thereafter passed onto a conveyor belt for ultimate baking by a cylindrical baking drum and horizontal circular pan.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,655 issued to Valadez, et al. discloses a machine for forming flour tortillas comprising a heated plate adapted for vertical movement relative to a heated support plate adapted for manual horizontal movement. The support plate is temporarily placed beneath the upper plate to allow the upper plate to press or form the tortilla from the dough resting atop the lower support plate. The lower support plate is thereafter withdrawn, the flattened tortilla removed therefrom, and a subsequent ball of dough placed on the lower support plate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,648 issued to Longenecker discloses an apparatus for shaping and precooking tortillas comprising a heated roll which revolves in stepped movements relative to a heated compression plate which periodically moves toward and away from the roll to coordinate the positioning of the plate with the step motion of the roll. The compression plate forms the tortilla by pressing the dough against the top of the roll while the roll is in the stop phase for a predetermined period. The formed tortilla is discharged onto a conveyor through the cooperative interaction of a scraper and the turning roll. The dough is initially deposited on the roll from a feed ramp and delivered beneath the compression plate by a feed plate. In both Valadez, et al. and Longenecker, the lower press plate or roll, respectively, is stopped to allow the upper press plate to press or form the tortilla thereagainst. As such, neither Valadez, et al. nor Longenecker teach or suggest pressing the bakery product in a continuous manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,457,853 issued to Morley discloses a hamburger grill comprising a cylindrical drum roller which compresses preformed hamburger patties atop a circular cooking disk mounted for rotation on a verticle axis. Such compression is intended to loosen the texture of the meat and break up the body of the meat and also serves to press the patties tightly against the cooking disk. The drum roller is mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal shaft and the height of the drum roller may be adjusted by rotating the shaft. The drum roller apparently rotates when urged to do so by means of the hamburger patties passing beneath it.
None of the aforementioned references teach or suggest a press plate and a press disc rotatable about a substantially vertical axis wherein the press plate presses bakery product ingredients against the disc to form a bakery product therefrom and wherein the movement of the press plate and press disc are synchronized so that the horizontal speed of the press plate is substantially equivalent to the angular speed of the disc.